


"john, go put on some clothes." (or: how sex education classes became a mandatory affair on the waverider)

by novoaa1



Series: the legends try sex education! [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Bisexual Ray Palmer, Established Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Insecure Nora Darhk, Legends of Tomorrow Team are Family, Light Angst, Like so much, Mona Wu Also Needs a Hug, Mona ships zarlie, Nora Darhk Needs a Hug, POV Nora Darhk, POV Ray Palmer, Ray Palmer is Smitten, Sara Lance Is the Time Mom, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, The Waverider (DC's Legends of Tomorrow), charlie is super flirty, discussions of safe healthy sex!! which we also love, for like two seconds, i love this team dynamic!!!, i might come back and edit later, its a problem, john keeps walking around naked?, like all the time??, like very very light angst, mick just wants a beer, mick sometimes forgets how to use the toaster, nora's into it, ray buys out an entire store basically, ray palmer is a huge dork, ray palmer loves singin in the rain, ray thinks nate's muscles are attractive, ummmm, which we love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-08 13:24:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18624148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/novoaa1/pseuds/novoaa1
Summary: Nora has her period, and Ray's freaking out in adorable fashion.He enlists the Legends to help him out... but John's half-naked, there's a ridiculous amount of sexual tension between Zari and Charlie, and Sara is just tired of dealing with her Time Kids' shit.Needless to say, the conversation they end up having isn't all that productive.





	1. girl problems

**Author's Note:**

> i'm pretty sure i'm gonna add a part 2 pretty soon with nora and ray ... would love to know what you think so far though!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora might be dying. 
> 
> Ray's freaking out. 
> 
> The Legends aren't exactly being helpful.

Nora Darhk was dying; she was sure of it.

 

Her uterus was trying to eat her _alive_ ; even worse, it felt as if full-grown elephants were violently stampeding across her lower back—it made her almost wistful for the days she'd spent possessed by Mallus in the Sumner Asylum for the clinically insane, because she was about 99% certain she’d take the Big Bad Demon himself any day over the white-hot searing _pain_ she felt currently tearing her lower abdomen to shreds.

 

And sure, she’d been through this many times before; it’s not as if she was having her period for the very first time. Her cycle had been fairly regular for as long as she could recall (though she did sometimes think about whether they stopped while Mallus was taking control of her body—she'd eventually decided she was really just better off not knowing, though it did give her some degree of satisfaction to think of the mighty Mallus suffering from menstrual cramps on a monthly basis), and the cramps were nothing new, just Mother Nature doling out her completely unsolicited punishment to Nora for having the gall to be born with a uterus. 

 

Somehow, though, this—the _agony_ she’s feeling right now—is worse. 

 

She thinks it might be the direct result of being a prisoner of the Time Bureau, then breaking _out_ of the Time Bureau, and also being framed for murder and forced to go on the run by a new obscenely powerful demon that makes Mallus look like a petulant toddler in comparison—so, she supposes, it’s not exactly news that the past couple months have taken their toll on her body.

 

Still, she should be grateful, she knows—she’s not trapped in a cage anymore, Nate Heywood is no longer convinced she murdered his father, and on top of all that, she’s sleeping in the same bed with the tall and _very_ muscle-y human teddy bear superhero otherwise known as Ray Palmer. 

 

Not that she has a crush on him, or anything. That would be dumb. 

 

No, Nora doesn’t do _crushes_. Much less with guys like _Ray Palmer_.

 

So what if she thinks his smile is cute sometimes, or catches herself staring at his muscular forearms on occasion, or has a few incidental sex dreams here and there about him tearing off her clothes and passionatlely ravaging her in his bed?

 

So what? 

 

It’s not like she likes him for his actual personality (which she really does), or that dumb nervous laugh he does at the stupidest of times (which she actually thinks is adorable), or his incessant need to help everyone he happens across like the hopelessly altruistic Boy Scout he is (which, although she tries to deny it, never fails to make her knees weak at just how unfailingly _good_ he is). 

 

Alright, fine. 

 

Maybe she likes him a _little_ bit. 

 

It’s not like that means anything. 

 

Especially now, when she feels as if she’s literally dangling on the edge of death in the man’s bed, and even the comforting earthy scent of him mixed sparingly with the slightest hint of his modest cologne isn’t enough to distract her from wishing Mallus had just taken pity on her and launched her into the Underworld when he’d been given the chance. 

 

Actually, he’d been given _many_ chances to do just that—and yet, here she is, sweat beading at her temples, red-hot knives of pain stabbing her pelvis from every side… if Mallus wasn’t already in hell, she’d have sent him there herself right then out of pure animalistic rage, because _Fuck_.

 

And then, because things hadn’t been going badly enough, Ray chose that moment to stroll into his quarters where she lay dying, an infuriatingly cheerful grin on his ever-upbeat face as he hummed the namesake tune from the musical _Singin’ in the Rain_. 

 

(She refused to acknowledge that his borderline obsession with the movie was actually something she found quite endearing.)

 

“Ray,” she managed to growl, her voice gravelly to her ears as she rubbed tiredly at her temples. “I like you, but if you don’t stop humming right this second, I’m going to turn myself back in to the Time Bureau.” 

 

The humming stopped. “You… You like me?”

 

_Christ_. 

 

She didn’t bother turning to glare at him in response—she didn’t have the energy. “Ray,” she scolded instead, her half-lidded gaze still fixed steadily on the ceiling.

 

“Oh—Oh, right,” Ray recovered, doing that nervous chuckle of his even as Nora cursed the way her heart leapt at the sound. “No more humming. Got it.” 

 

_What a dork_ , she thought. 

 

There was a blessed silence for a moment—Nora took the opportunity to focus on her breathing, even as she could feel Ray’s attentive eyes upon her. 

 

“Hey,” he said eventually in a soft tone, and she felt him sit carefully on the bed, just next to her prone and shivering figure. “Are you okay?” 

 

She turned weakly to look at him, hating how she ached at the genuine concern on his features, both his brows stitched together in palpable worry. 

 

“Fine,” she managed to choke out, forcing herself to look anywhere other than those puppy-like brown eyes.

 

“Nora…” Ray trailed off with a sigh, shifting to place a large but gentle hand over hers atop the covers that made her shiver with something entirely unrelated to her current predicament, his expression filled with genuine kindness that nearly shattered her resolve. 

 

Her eyes darted to his as she tried to effect a halfway convincing look with an unsteady quirk of her lips. “It’ll pass, Ray. Don’t worry.” 

 

The crease in his forehead deepened even as she longed to reach out and smooth it away. “How can you know that? What if you’re _really_ sick?” he asked, rubbing soothing circles into her pale hand. 

 

“This happens every month, okay?” she said, hoping he’d realize what she was trying to say—discussing her menstrual cycle with Ray Palmer was something she _really_ didn’t have the energy for right now. 

 

She fought the urge to roll her eyes as the confusion on his face only worsened. “What—What do you mean?” he asked, sounding borderline frantic as he devolved into a classic Ray Palmer ramble. “Is it a medical condition? Have you seen a doctor? Nora, what if this is serious?” 

 

Then he was looking at her with a desperate and searching gaze, and _Oh, well_ , she thought. _Might as well just say it_.

 

“I’m on my period,” she stated as casually as she could, feeling the absurd desire to burst out laughing as the man’s eyes bulged almost comically at her words. "I think it’s just worse because of how things have been for me the past month or so. But that’s how I know it’ll pass. Okay?” 

 

Ray gaped for a long moment, then abruptly shut his mouth, then opened it again, clearly struggling for a coherent response. “Uh—I—You” he stammered, his eyes darting down to her belly then instantly back up, and Nora felt her cheeks burn under his inspection. “Oh! _Oh!_ You… _Oh!_ “

 

_Please, Mallus, just take me now_ , she pleaded silently.

 

“I—You—I… I’m sorry,” Ray managed to say after a fair amount of sputtering, looking almost contrite—but his hand didn’t move from Nora’s, for which she was immensely grateful… not that she’d ever admit such a thing, of course. 

 

Nora felt a small smile quirking at her lips despite herself, because of course: only Ray Palmer would apologize to _her_ during her monthly period as if it’s somehow _his_ fault that the female reproductive system functions the way that it does. 

 

“Don’t be sorry,” she spoke, letting out an amused huff of air. “If anything, _I’m_ sorry you have to deal with me like this.” 

 

Ray’s eyes, if at all possible, instantly grew wider. “What?” he yelped, his voice at least an octave higher than normal. "No! I love—” he cut himself off, clearing his throat, then continued in a purposefully deeper tone: “I, um, I like having you here.”

 

Something in her ribcage fluttered at the man’s _adorable_ awkwardness, something she was far too drained to bother fighting as it flooded her with unmitigated warmth, even despite everything within her screaming to run. 

 

“Good,” she said quietly. “I like being here.” 

 

She’d hate herself for showing such weakness later, but it was worth it, she decided, to see how Ray positively _beamed_ at her admission.

 

It was quiet for another moment, Nora gazing up into Ray’s soft brown eyes as he continued stroking random patterns into the skin of her wrist, tingles spreading everywhere inside her from head to toe at the utter safety and _domesticity_ of it all. 

 

She wanted to groan when they were interrupted seconds later by the Palmer Tech watch on Ray’s wrist letting out a shrill beep, the man shooting her an apologetic look as he absentmindedly pressed a couple of buttons and squinted at the alert on the screen. 

 

He sighed. “Mick forgot how to use the toaster again. I gotta go make sure he doesn’t burn down the Waverider,” he squeezed his hand tenderly around hers, then moved to stand beside the bed, turning to fix that absolutely debilitating puppy-eyed gaze upon her with a furrowed brow. “Is there anything I can get you? Chocolate? Heating pads? F—" he interrupted himself with a cough, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “F-Feminine hygiene products?”

 

She didn’t know whether to melt at his adorable consideration or just allow the ground to swallow her whole to end her embarrassment—after a brief contemplation, she decided upon the former. 

 

“That’s okay, Ray,” she assured him. “You don’t have to do that.” 

 

He took a halting step forward, an eager look on his features. “B-But I _want_ to! I want—I want to help.” 

 

_God, he’s precious_ , she thought. 

 

She smiled. “No, I’m okay.” 

 

“If you’re sure… “

 

“100%. Just go make sure Mick doesn’t blow us all up.” 

 

At that, he grinned widely (it almost looked painful, she thought idly). “Yes ma’am.”

 

And with that, he was gone. 

 

⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥

 

It had taken Ray about 30 minutes in total to gather everyone in the Parlour for an impromptu team meeting (he’d have just asked Gideon to announce it over the loudspeaker, if not for a very weak and shivering Nora Darhk currently bundled up in his quarters that he would rather die than disturb right now): he’d been yelled at by a very upset Sara and Ava for again daring to interrupt their scant alone time (they were now wearing matching glares as he thanked everyone for coming to this brief meeting); John had been completely naked in the library while doing some form of magic yoga, a sight Ray might never be able to erase from his brain; Charlie and Zari had been “wrestling” in Zari’s room, where Ray had walked in upon a smirking Charlie forcefully tugging a giggling Zari to sit on her lap (he didn’t understand for the life of him why they weren’t dating yet, because _Wow_ ); Mick had been trying (and failing) to construct a Molotov cocktail down in the lab as Mona watched him set various items aflame without the slightest hint of concern; and lastly, Nate had been constructing a very detail-oriented protein shake in the kitchen post-workout (he was _very_ invested in taking care of his body, something a disastrously bisexual Ray couldn’t help but notice even though he’d never look twice at the man now that he had Nora in his sights). 

 

“So!” he clapped his hands together, trying to be optimistic as he stood in the middle of the space amidst a sea of unimpressed glares. “I wanted your guys’ help with something!” 

 

Zari raised her hand, allowing it to fall back into her lap when Ray nodded at her. “Do we have to?” she asked, voice muffled around a mouthful of the chocolate-and-sprinkles donut she’d been eating. 

 

Mick grunted from where he sat sprawled on the floor, taking another swig of his beer. “What she said.” 

 

Ray managed to maintain a somewhat pleasant expression on his features even despite the poor-mannered commentary, having become quite used to his teammates’ distinct lack of enthusiasm by now. “10 minutes, guys,” he pleaded. “That’s all I’m asking.” 

 

“Well, squire,” John drawled around his unlit cigarette, dressed unashamedly in only a fluffy white towel wrapped loosely around his waist, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his exposed upper half. “You’d better get on with it, eh?” 

 

Ray nodded absentmindedly. “Right—"

 

“Hold it,” Charlie interrupted from her spot next to Zari on the arm of the plush leather chair, tilting her head at John. “I didn’t know we were allowed to walk around naked. I’d have started wearing _much_ less ages ago!” 

 

Zari sighed. “Can we not do this right now?” 

 

“What?” Charlie turned to her with a smug grin, nudging her playfully. “You know you’d like it.”

 

Zari opened her mouth to protest, cheeks flushed, but was quickly cut off by a wide-eyed Mona: “That was really gay,” she observed in her airy tone, lounged in a wooden chair on the edge of the room in a striped T-shirt and salmon pink jeans. “Did anyone else see that?”

 

“I did,” Nate piped up. 

 

“Yup,” Mick said gruffly. 

 

“Zari and Charlie…” Mona mused, then her eyes brightened as if she’d thought of something even as Zari groaned into her hands. “Oh my _God!_ Your ship name would be _Zarlie!_ That’s so—"

 

"Thank you, Mona,” Sara interrupted sarcastically, rolling her eyes from where she stood just besides Ray in the center of the room in jeans and a white tee. “But to be clear: _No one_ is allowed to walk around naked.” 

 

“Bollocks!” the shape-shifter protested, gesturing emphatically at a nonchalant John standing barefoot next to the smaller table, leisurely spinning the globe of the Earth with a dainty finger. “He’s doin’ it right now!”

 

John heaved a dramatic sigh. “I’m not even fully naked, love! Though,” he paused for effect, winking flirtatiously at an unamused Charlie, “that can be arranged."

 

“John, go put on some clothes,” Sara ordered, exasperation clear in her tone. 

 

The blonde-haired man just shrugged inconsequentially, a crooked smirk still affixed upon his features. “Only 'cause you asked so nicely, pet,” he replied charmingly with another wink, ignoring Sara’s scowl and Ava’s withering glare as he padded down the steps and around the corner, presumably to his quarters. 

 

“Now that that’s settled,” Ray said, “Nora—"

 

“You finally boned, didn’t ya?” Charlie practically yelled. “I _knew_ it!” 

 

Ray’s brow furrowed, mouth agape as he shook his head feverishly from side to side. “That’s not—“

 

“Ah,” Mick grunted again, raising his bottle as if to toast to him. “Good one, Haircut.” 

 

Ray chuckled nervously. “No, you guys don’t understand—“

 

“I can’t believe you lied to me when I specifically asked if you had the hots for her!” Nate interjected, looking vaguely indignant. "I thought we were Time Bros!” 

 

“We _are_ , Nate, I just—"

 

“Did you use protection?” Sara asked sternly, eyes narrowed as Ava nodded solemnly beside her, and _Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening_ , he thought. 

 

“No, we—"

 

“You didn’t use _protection?!_ ” Ava questioned incredulously, outrage showing clearly on her features.

 

“You really don’t underst—"

 

Nate gasped. “You’re gonna be a _dad?_ ”

 

“Mazel Tov,” Mick offered from the floor. 

 

“No—"

 

“And you didn’t think to consult me about this?” Sara glared, arms crossed intimidatingly across her chest. “I can’t believe you, the _irresponsibility_ —“

 

“Dude,” Zari spoke up, “are you even ready to be a father?”

 

“I—"

 

Charlie blew out a long breath. “This is fuc—"

 

“I’m not gonna be a dad!” Ray yelped suddenly, effectively silencing everyone else in the room. “No one boned _anyon_ —No sex, okay? None!” he finished, his voice cracking hysterically on the final syllable.

 

There was a measured silence. 

 

“Damn, buddy, I’m sorry,” Nate said eventually. “That must be rough. Wanna talk about it?” 

 

Mona nodded eagerly. “We’re here for you! It’s been a long time since I got some action, too.”

 

“Preaching to the choir,” muttered Zari. 

 

Sara smirked. “Well, I’m sure Charlie would be _more_ than happy to help you out with that.”

 

“Just say the word, babe,” Charlie added, smirking down at a reddening Zari. 

 

“Guys!” Mona complained insistently, her expression serious. “We’re supposed to be helping out Ray right now! Our teammate is having a hard time dealing with his sexual frustration.” 

 

“Wait—You—What?” Ray sputtered, because Oh my _God._ “No—You—No, guys, that’s not what I’m upset about!” 

 

Mona just nodded her head sympathetically, looking as though she didn’t believe a word he’d just said. At all. “We’ve all been there,” she said emphatically with an understanding gaze. “The first step is acceptance.” 

 

Ray’s eyes widened. “No, really, that’s _not_ what’s going on here—“

 

“Aw, c’mon, mate,” Charlie cut him off with a lazy grin. “Sex is a very natural human activity, alright? Nothing to be—“

 

“Nora’s vagina is bleeding!” he blurted before he could stop himself, wincing almost immediately at the less-than-ideal wording as silence promptly fell upon the room. 

 

“Cripes,” came a voice from behind him, and Ray whirled around to see a fully-dressed (Thank _God_ ) John Constantine, observing the scene before him with interest as he waltzed back into the room. “I didn’t know you were that well-endowed, squire. I suppose congratulations are in order,” he said with a grin, clapping an unnaturally stiff Ray loudly on the back before strutting across the floor to lean against the wall next to Mona. 

 

“Wait, I thought they _didn’t_ have sex… " Nate interjected, his brows furrowed. 

 

“‘Congratulations’?!” Ava yelped in protest, more or less ignoring Nate’s comment as she fixed John with an incredulous stare. “ _What?_ ”

 

John just blinked, a blank look on his features. “Sorry?”

 

Ava sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Blood means you don’t know what _foreplay_ is, okay—" 

 

“True,” Sara jumped in. “Sex shouldn’t hurt.” 

 

Mona let out a small strangled noise. “It shouldn’t?” 

 

Sara sighed, a twinge of sadness showing on her features. “No, Mona, it shouldn’t,” she said, her tone softer. “No matter how big he is, or even if it’s your first time.” 

 

“I didn’t know that,” Mona replied, looking almost dazed as she stared off into nothing. John waved an experimental hand in front of her after a long moment—no response.

 

The now-dressed warlock threw his hands up. “Well, congrats, love—you broke Mona."

 

“Can it, Constantine,” Ava snapped. 

 

“Make me, Sharpie.”

 

“You—"

 

“You guys should stop before Mom puts you both in timeout,” Nate advised, even as they both turned to glower at him. 

 

“Or grounds you,” Ray added with a visible shudder. 

 

The pair of blondes looked indignant but obeyed nonetheless, everyone falling silent as they turned to watch a _very_ peeved Sara count slowly to three in her head, nostrils flaring. “Okay, look—we need to move on. But starting next week, I’m implementing sex education class on the Waverider,” she quickly silenced Charlie’s resounding groan with an ice-cold glare. "It’s not up for discussion. Understood?” 

 

No one argued, just nodded their heads in sync until Sara was satisfied she’d gotten a signal of agreement from everyone in the room. 

 

“Great,” she said exhaustedly, letting out another deep sigh, relaxing incrementally as Ava wordlessly rubbed a soothing hand up and down her back. “Now, let’s just listen to Ray’s girl problem, shall we?”

 

“So Nora’s on her p-period… "

 

⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥


	2. ray palmer, dad of the year™

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray and Nora talk... it's really cute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love this pairing... hope you enjoy!

Nora had been drifting in and out of consciousness for the past hour or so, her belly throbbing something awful—at one point she was sure she’d heard Ray’s hysteria-filled yelp from down the hall saying in no uncertain terms that he was going to be a father, but she’s sure she must've been dreaming. 

 

What’s more, she certainly wasn't going to bother asking—she thinks she’d probably reached her quota of awkward conversations with the frustratingly sweet and inexplicably charming Ray Palmer for one day. 

 

(She also really didn’t want to think about where exactly her mind had gone on the topic of children and the insufferably attractive all-American Boy-Next-Door Ray Palmer—no, she didn’t want to remember that she thought of Ray raising his own children, kissing their boo-boos until they laughed through their tears and telling the most horrible jokes that would make them groan in embarrassment even as their chests ached with the sheer _love_ they felt for their father.

 

She didn’t want to catch herself thinking ever again about the no doubt infinitesimally small possibility that it could be _her_ living in that suburban neighborhood with white picket-fences and Dad of the Year Ray Palmer driving _their_ kids to soccer games on the weekends and cheering far too loudly on the sidelines even when nothing even remotely exciting was happening.

 

No, she refused to let herself think about that.)

 

So, due to her current state in which she found herself more or less oscillating between the worlds of groggy consciousness and sleep, she was sure she was dreaming when Ray practically skipped back into his quarters with a beaming smile, carrying an unreasonable amount of environmentally-friendly shopping totes (because of _course_ Ray Palmer wouldn’t ever be so callous as to use plastic bags for his groceries) on his _very_ well-proportioned arms, like he’d just bought out an entire store. 

 

Still convinced it was a dream, she allowed her eyes to flutter closed, waiting for the sounds of a positively ecstatic Ray shuffling around the room to fade into nothingness. 

 

They didn’t. 

 

“Ray?” she asked tentatively then, cracking open a single eye. 

 

The man whirled around, still holding a ridiculous number of shopping totes filled with… whatever he’d bought, his entire disposition lighting up even further (if such a thing was even possible) when he saw that Nora was awake. 

 

“Hi!” He moved as if to wave, then seemed to realize he couldn’t with all the totes weighing heavily on either arm, so he just settled for a subtle wiggle of his fingers on one hand, which, _adorable_. 

 

Forcing her heavily-clouded brain to focus, she allowed her eyes to dart down to the excess of merchandise in his arms, then back up to his impossibly wide grin. “Was there a sale?” she asked hoarsely, quirking a single eyebrow, only half joking. 

 

“Uh—Um,” Ray coughed awkwardly, a hint of a blush tinting his cheeks. “N—No! It’s just—Well, it’s actually kind of funny cause, um—Well, I was talking to Sara and Ava and—"

 

“Ray,” she interrupted as she forced herself to sit upright against the headboard, leveling him with an amused gaze and delighting in the sight of his blush deepening as a result. “You’re rambling. Say what you need to say.”

 

“Oh—Right—Okay,” he scrambled for his words, taking a deep breath to compose himself. “Well, I know you said you didn’t need anything,” he began, looking almost bashfully down at the various bags in his arms, “but I didn’t want you to go through this alone o-or not have something you wanted, you know? Cause you deserve everything you want—I just, I mean, I wanted to help,” he paused his rambling for a moment, leaning to place the bags on the floor, then taking out an obscenely large box of Dove chocolates. “So I got these, because I know you might want something sweet, right? Sara told me she always wants chocolate when it’s… when she… has her… p-period, and Dove is _her_ favorite—" he dug out three more assortments from various different (not to mention _expensive_ ) companies, “—and Charlie said the Ferrero Rocher truffles were the best, so I got you a big box of of those, and then some Lindt chocolate bars and truffles, though John did steal some before I could stop him, so you’ll just have to let me know if you want me to run out and get some more… Oh! And also this German kind—I have no idea how to pronounce the name but Ava swears by it, so it’s probably good,” he finished, laying each box onto the bedspread as Nora gaped. 

 

“Ray…” she trailed off, completely at a loss for words. 

 

Seemingly undeterred, he just blathered on, whipping out a family-sized box of heating pads next. “Oh! And I got these, which the guy at the pharmacy said were the best for m-m-menstrual cramps,” he cleared his throat again, shaking his head self-deprecatingly at himself as Nora giggled. “And then these, too!” he announced triumphantly, pulling out yet another over-sized box of heating pads from a different brand. “He said these were the second best,” he admitted bashfully, ducking his head as he moved to set that box on the sheets to join the others, “so I bought these, too.”

 

A rather undignified squeak escaped Nora’s throat, her eyes beginning to burn with overwhelmed tears at the sheer _care_ she was being shown right now from a man that owed her absolutely nothing, but was deciding to show her a sort of kindness anyhow, the kind that she’s positive she’d never known before.

 

“Ray, I—"

 

“Also! I got you a bunch of painkillers,” he continued his excited babbling, leaning eagerly forward to show her an entire shopping tote’s worth of various colored pill bottles—probably enough to make a bad trip on coke-laced acid seem like a walk in the freaking park, Nora thought idly. “And these too! Tissues, ‘cause I realized I ran out,” he said with a chuckle, placing that box atop the others on the mattress (which was quickly running out of available space). “Okay, so I wasn’t sure if you used p-p-pads or t-t—“

 

“Tampons?” Nora supplied, a goofy smile spreading uncontrollably across her tired features even as she felt the tears in her eyes threaten to spill down her cheeks. 

 

“Uh—I—Yeah!” Ray choked out, now holding at least four bright-pink boxes of each product in his defined arms. “See?” he managed to gesture proudly without his hands, the prideful grin immediately falling as he looked up and saw a single tear trace down Nora’s face. “N-Nora?” he questioned, suddenly sounding lost. “Hey, don’t cry,” he said, rising from his crouched position on the floor to approach her sitting on the bed, taking a careful seat next to her shaking form. "Did I do something wrong?” 

 

“N-No!” she managed, her voice thick with emotion. “God, no, you haven’t done anything wrong, Ray, I promise,” she paused, sniffling softly. “You’re being so nice to me.”

 

Ray slowly reached for her hand, grasping it warmly in both of his when she didn’t pull away. “Of course,” he said quietly, though his tone was firm. “I told you I’d be here.” 

 

“Why?” she whispered, hating how her voice trembled. 

 

“Why what?” 

 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” 

 

Ray was silent for a moment, then eventually let out a slow sigh. “Because I like you, Nora. A lot more than I originally planned,” he paused. “But you don’t owe me a single thing, okay? This isn’t quid-pro-quo, or anything like that. I’m doing this because I _care_.”

 

Nora sniffled again. “Y-You do?” she asked, hesitantly raising her teary eyes to meet his, relishing in the feel of his warm hands surrounding hers. 

 

“I do,” he replied tenderly, bringing a hand up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and God, Nora couldn’t help the nagging voice in her head that was telling her that maybe she could find her happiness here, sinking blissfully into the warmth and domesticity that always enveloped her in the presence of Ray Palmer. 

 

She bit her lip, searching his eyes for a hint of a lie or the tiniest shred of deception—but, she had to remind herself, this was Ray; if he ever intentionally caught himself telling a single lie, he’d probably turn himself into the FBI the very next day and demand they detain him for the safety of America.

 

“I’m sorry for being so emotional,” she sniffled after a long moment of comfortable silence, his genuine brown-eyed gaze still burning into hers. “I guess I’ll be needing those tissues after all,” she said with an awkward chuckle. 

 

At that, Ray smiled, though there was still something like sincerity glinting in his eyes. “Don’t apologize for that. I’ll be glad if even one of the things I bought can help you.” 

 

“You’re too good to me,” she whispered, like it was a secret she’d never told anyone else before—and in a way, she thinks it might have been. 

 

Almost instantly Ray was shaking his head emphatically, his gaze filled with so much affection she feared she might burst. “You’re wrong,” he said simply, a sad smile on his face. “But that’s okay. I’ll spend as many days as I have to making sure you know your worth.” 

 

She didn’t bother trying to stop another tear from tracing its way down her cheek, even as she tried desperately to fight that ever-present voice in her head saying that maybe she didn’t have to fight like this anymore; the one that said maybe if she spent every second trying to be better for him, she just might reach a point where she actually deserved his unconditional care and that warm feeling she got in her belly every time he smiled; the one saying that maybe _this_ , with him, would be enough.

 

It was horrible to fight that voice, the one that spoke of hope and dreams and something better, because it always hurt her so badly to remind herself that she didn’t deserve any of it… 

 

But she was too tired to fight it now, and it was likely one of the best things she’d felt in a long time—sweet surrender: surrendering to those warm chocolate-brown eyes and that unrelenting goodness and the kind words Ray handed out to her like candy, not even to mention the way her heart seemed to stop every time he so much as looked her way.

 

And as she laid that night in bed cuddled snugly up against his firm chest, feeling his slow and even breaths tickling the back of her neck as her cramps seemed to fade effortlessly to the background with every passing moment, she couldn’t help but think that _Yeah… Maybe giving up isn’t so bad after all_. 

 

⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥ ⌥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think I'll end it there; I don't think I'm gonna write any more parts... 
> 
> Would love to hear any thoughts / feedback! 
> 
> Thanks for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> (my [tumblr](https://psyches.co.vu/))


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